I live in Ontario, and have just completed the wiring for my basement renovation, which includes a suspended ceiling. I have incorporated 2x4 lay-in troffer fluorescent lights into the gridwork. The manufacturer's instructions for the installation are to lay them into the grid, and bend the clips at each end of each fixture to anchor the lights to the grid rails. Then ensure that the grid is firmly suspended with anchor wires close to each corner of each light fixture.
I have followed these instructions to the letter, and now have a ceiling which is very solid, level and square, without any tendency to move or rattle.
Then the ESA inspector comes in, and tells me that the light fixtures need to be suspended directly from the floor joists above, as well as being laid into the suspended grid. And he fails the otherwise fully compliant installation on this basis. Never mind that I told him they were installed in the way they were designed for; never mind that I pointed out how solidly they were installed; he just said NO without giving a particular reason, and because I don't do this for a living made it difficult for me to argue. I haven't yet received any paperwork from ESA documenting this - I assume it will appear in the mail in due course.
The manufacturer of these (CSA approved) light fixtures makes no mention of the need to do this direct suspension - merely that they should be laid in the grid and clamped to it. There is no provision on the fixtures for such a direct suspension, so I would need to drill holes. And in general, the corners of the lights do not line up with the floor joists above. So to add in the additional suspension would require adding strapping between the joists above the grid at each corner of every light - and I have 14 such lights: a mountain of work! I really don't want to do this.
Am I correct in assuming that the inspector was wrong in putting this requirement on me? Is there any requirement in the Ontario Electrical Code to do this, and if so under what circumstances would it apply?
And if he is wrong, what is my most expedient way of getting this decision reversed?
If he is right, is there any way of getting this requirement softened?
IMO one "suspends" the fixtures by the ceiling grid. Additional safety wires are installed from the holes on the fixture clips to to framing members of the structure. Should the grid work fail, the fixtures will not come crashing down as well.
I'm in Maryland, not Canada...but with that being said, on every job I've ever been on, the lay in fixtures in a drop ceiling were required to be independently supported of the grid. The reasoning is that if firefighters rip down the drop ceiling, the lights will not come crashing down on their heads. For the last several years, I've had to hang independent ceiling wires just to attach MC cable to- I could not use the ceiling guys wires for any type of electrical support. I've always called those clips on the fixtures "hurricane clips". Some jobs speced that the clips needed to be attached- other jobs I didn't mess with the clips. The clips were always supplemental to the ceiling wire actually supporting the fixture. Good luck arguing with the inspector on this one
I have a similar experience as MM. The lights may be mounted in accordance with the electric code, however the build code places additional requirements on the mounting and are the ones that call for the independent mounting support.
I have followed these instructions to the letter, and now have a ceiling which is very solid, level and square, without any tendency to move or rattle.
The manufacturers instructions and your local building code are 2 different things. Do not assume one will automatically satisfy the other. An extreme example would be installing those lights in an earthquake zone. Satisfying the instructions only would not make them a safe lighting circumstance in case of an earth quake.
Different parts of the world have different code requirements to satisfy and the manufacturers instructions do not cover this.
I'd wonder is just self tapping screws in the fixture and simple chain attached to the joist would suffice.
I'm on a local volunteer fire dept. and we would have just lifted the ceiling panels, not ripped down the grids to check for hot spots.
To much of a chance for entrapment if you yank the whole grid down.
Thanks for all those responses. It seems there is sufficient variety of replies to suggest that it could well be a requirement here in Ontario to provide additional direct suspension from above. But it's interesting that I couldn't find a reference to it in my copy of the Canadian Electrical Code, although it may be a recent addition.
I will obviously have to talk to the Electrical Safety Authority as to what they will accept, since my inspector wasn't forthcoming, and my main concern is to do it in such a way as to minimise the complexity of the rework. I would welcome any suggestions as to how this might be done, so that I can put forward some suggestions to them.
It looks like this is primarily required to provide a safety net for firefighters, such that the lamps don't come crashing down if the grid drops or is pulled. Does this mean that I can leave the grid supporting and positioning the lamps, and simply add safety wires or chains to arrest the fixture if it tends to drop? Or is it likely to be a requirement that the suspension from the structure above actually holds the lamps in place - but it would be very difficult to position them neatly in the grid in that case?
The suggestion of using chains attached close to the 4 corners could be the easiest to do, especially if it is allowable to have these chains angled to the closest floor joist (but could be quite a sharp angle in some places, since there isn't much clearance between the grid and the joists). After all, if the lamp drops I wouldn't have thought it has to be pretty, it merely has to remain close to the ceiling. What I want to avoid if at all possible is the need to put strapping between the joists at each corner of all 14 lamps, which is what I would have to do if the suspension has to be vertical.
If I can get some implementation thoughts from the community before I call ESA it would be much appreciated.
When its all said and done the inspector is right. (whether he is or not) They were not required to be separately anchored here years ago but I would think that they are by now. I have had them fall out on my head while on top of an 8' ladder so I understand the concern.
Apparently Ontario Electrical Safety Code Bulletin 30-4-* (Latest version 30-4-11) "Installation of luminaires in suspended ceilings" gives details of how it should be done here. I can't find a way of getting an online copy of this without signing up (and paying for) for a subscription service, which I don't need other than for this.
Does anybody have a copy of this bulletin that they can forward or point me to?
Although it's not spelled out in the Ontario Electrical Code, there is a Bulletin out which calls for the additional support. I had to put two supporting chains, one at each end or in opposite corners, such that if the grid fails the troffers would not fall down.
Pity these things aren't properly spelled out in the code, because they will get you every time unless you are in the know.
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